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Wii
| top_game = Wii Sports | predecessor = Nintendo GameCube }} The Wii, codenamed "Revolution" during production, is the seventh generation gaming console developed by Nintendo. It is the smallest Nintendo console to date. The Wii's disc slot reads both the new 12 cm Wii discs but is also backwards compatible with GameCube games. Older games are available through the shop channel with Wii points, each roughly equal to one penny, by direct download. NES, SNES, N64, Sega Genesis, and TurboGrafx games can all be downloaded for a set amount of points each. The controller, officially named the Wii Remote but dubbed the "Wiimote" by fans, is shaped similarly to a TV remote with built in accelerometers whose movements are received by a Sensor Bar placed on the TV. There is an expansion port for added controls including the Nunchuk, the Classic Controller, and Zapper, with new expansions being developed. The system was designed primarily to snag typical non-gamer demographics. Ease of control, affordable price, and more widely appealing games were priorities to expand the player base. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata himself has said "We're not thinking about fighting Sony, but about how many people we can get to play games. The thing we're thinking about most is not portable systems, consoles, and so-forth, but that we want to get new people playing games." Currently there is only one full-fledged Metroid game released for the Wii (in addition to two older games available through Virtual Console), but Samus makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl in both her Varia Suit and after using her Final Smash her Zero Suit form becomes available as well. Hardware The Wii is Nintendo's smallest home console to date; it measures 44 mm (1.73 in) wide, 157 mm (6.18 in) tall and 215.4 mm (8.48 in) deep in its vertical orientation, the near-equivalent of three DVD cases stacked together. The included stand measures 55.4 mm (2.18 in) wide, 44 mm (1.73 in) tall and 225.6 mm (8.88 in) deep. The system weighs 1.2 kg (2.7 lb), which makes it the lightest of the three major seventh generation consoles. The console can be placed either horizontally or vertically. The prefix for the numbering scheme of the system and its parts and accessories is "RVL-" after its project code name of "Revolution". The console also features a recurring theme or design: the console itself, SD cards, the power supply and all the sockets have one of their corners chipped off in a triangular fashion. The front of the console features an illuminated slot-loading optical media drive that accepts both 12 cm Wii Optical Discs and Nintendo GameCube Game Discs. The blue light in the disc slot illuminates briefly when the console is turned on and pulsates when new data is received through WiiConnect24. After firmware update 3.0, the disc slot light activates whenever a Wii disc is inserted or ejected. When there is no WiiConnect24 information, the light stays off. The disc slot light remains off during gameplay or when using other features. Two USB ports are located at its rear. An SD card slot hides behind the cover on the front of the console. The SD card can be used for uploading photos as well as backing up saved game data and downloaded Virtual Console games. To use the SD slot for transferring game saves, an update must be installed. An installation can be initiated from the Wii options menu through an Internet connection, or by inserting a game disc containing the updated firmware. Virtual Console data cannot be restored to any system except the unit of origin.65 An SD card can also be used to create customized in-game music from stored MP3 files, as first shown in Excite Truck, as well as music for the slideshow feature of the Photo Channel. Version 1.1 of the Photo Channel removed MP3 playback in favor of AAC support. Nintendo has shown the console and the Wii Remote in white, black, silver, lime green, and red, but it is currently available only in white. Shigeru Miyamoto stated that other colors would become available after the easing of supply limitations. The Wii launch package includes the console, a stand to allow the console to be placed vertically, a circular clear stabilizer for the main stand, one Wii Remote, one Nunchuk attachment, one Sensor Bar, a removable stand for the bar, one external main power adapter, two AA batteries, one composite AV cable with RCA connectors, a SCART adapter in European countries (component video and other types of cables are available separately), operation documentation, and, in all regions except Japan and South Korea, a copy of the game Wii Sports. The Wii can be hacked to enable an owner to use the console for activities other than those intended by Nintendo. Several brands of modchips are available for the Wii. Nintendo plans to release a version of the console with DVD-Video playback capabilities. This new model will use the CinePlayer CE DVD Navigator software engine by Sonic Solutions. Although software will be used to enable DVD-Video functionality, Nintendo has stated that it "requires more than a firmware upgrade" to implement and that the functionality would be unavailable as an upgrade option for the existing Wii model. After announcing the DVD version for 2007, Nintendo delayed its release to focus on producing the original console to meet demand. The Wii Remote is the primary controller for the console. It uses a combination of built-in accelerometers and infrared detection to sense its position in 3D space when pointed at the LEDs within the Sensor Bar. This design allows users to control the game using physical gestures as well as traditional button presses. The controller connects to the console using Bluetooth and features rumble as well as an internal speaker. The Wii Remote can connect to expansion devices through a proprietary port at the base of the controller. The device bundled with the Wii retail package is the Nunchuk unit, which features an accelerometer and a traditional analog stick with two trigger buttons. In addition, an attachable wrist strap can be used to prevent the player from unintentionally dropping or throwing the Wii Remote. In response to incidents of strap failure, Nintendo is offering a free, stronger replacement for all straps. Nintendo has also since offered the Wii Remote Jacket to provide extra grip and protection. ''Metroid'' games for the Wii *''Metroid Prime'' (Re-make, yet to be released.) *''Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' (Re-make, yet to be released.) *''Metroid Prime 3: Corruption'' *''Super Metroid'' (3 minute demo in Super Smash Bros. Brawl from 3 different savepoints.) ''Metroid'' Games for Virtual Console *''Metroid'' *''Super Metroid'' Metroid on WiiWare *''Metroid Prime 3 Preview Channel'' ''Metroid'' Games playable through Nintendo GameCube Backwards Compatibility *''Metroid Prime'' *''Metroid Prime 2 Echoes Bonus Disc'' *''Metroid Prime 2 Echoes'' *''Metroid'' (Playable as Metroid Prime unlockable extra.) Category:Consoles Category:Wii